So I was taking mid terms today, and I finished early and my mind started to wander, and it rested upon the idea of somehow getting Malta to be the center of a powerful empire. I honestly don't know I whole lot of Maltese History other then they were under Knights Hospitaller for a good while. I don't mean it has to be like Great Britain powerful Empire, but is a Venice or Genoa type of merchant empire possible, or is this ASB?
AH Challenge: Maltese Empire
- Thread starter ImperialVienna
- Start date
Somehow get this order (more likely, its predecessor) more involved, and not lose both Rhodes and Malta. Here's Maltese history in OTL.
True, but I think that it's possible for the Knights to hold onto both Rhodes and Malta.
Susano
Banned
...they only got Malta as replacment once they lost Rhodos. If they hold on to Rhodos theyll have their centre there and wont be Maltese at all!
Well, stranger things have happened - maybe Malta is their base for the purpose of getting rid of the pirates?
I was hoping some how install a Monarchy, I was thinking perhaps something similar to Monaco could happen, but I'm not sure because historically Malta is much more heavily fortified then Monaco.
Well, unless if the Lusignans are involved, I doubt that a monastic republic would be suitable ground for a monarchy.
Reluctant I am to bring up a greater reformation than OTL, but didn't the Duchy of Prussia start out as a monastic state that was converted into a secular monarchy due to the reformation's influence? So that would be an option as well.
Susano
Banned
You can fit aprox. 4370745034 Maltas into Ducial Prussia though
And even then, the Kingdom of Prussias centre was brandenburg - Prussia was just conviient to be raised to Kingdom because it was outside the HRE. Would anybody really consider raising that rock in the sea thats Malta to be kingdom?
What about the example of Courland? It started off as territory of the Livonian Order, which secularized at some point in the 1500s and the last Grand Master became Duke of the same territory.
Here ya go... a start
Medieval times strike me as slim pickings, because European culture was intolerant, illiberal, and backward compared to the neighbors. European Imperial times might work, but then the world's population's been building up enough to make this a tough row to hoe.
Now, if we move a couple of millenia earlier, it IMHO all gets much more promising. You have colonies of two different advanced, tolerant, trading cultures. Greeks and Phoenicians. Malta's population cap isn't impossible yet.
POD: 657 BCE: Philip of Malta becomes benevolent tyrant over Greek colony on Malta.
651 BCE: Philip of Malta finishes conquering the Phoenician colonies on Malta, leaving him master of the island. He proclaims that Phoenicians will be treated equally. He encourages trading links to continue, sends ambassadors to important Mediterranean cities to drum up trade and represent its interests.
...more soon..
Medieval times strike me as slim pickings, because European culture was intolerant, illiberal, and backward compared to the neighbors. European Imperial times might work, but then the world's population's been building up enough to make this a tough row to hoe.
Now, if we move a couple of millenia earlier, it IMHO all gets much more promising. You have colonies of two different advanced, tolerant, trading cultures. Greeks and Phoenicians. Malta's population cap isn't impossible yet.
POD: 657 BCE: Philip of Malta becomes benevolent tyrant over Greek colony on Malta.
651 BCE: Philip of Malta finishes conquering the Phoenician colonies on Malta, leaving him master of the island. He proclaims that Phoenicians will be treated equally. He encourages trading links to continue, sends ambassadors to important Mediterranean cities to drum up trade and represent its interests.
...more soon..
How about a more ancient POD? Malta was, in late neolithic times, inhabited by a well-organized society which constructed some of the world's most ancient stone buildings. This culture thrived, in isolation from the surrounding Mediterranean cultures, for many centuries. But what if the Maltese culture had been more based on seafaring, and had included more of an explorationist and commerce-oriented element, similar to the Minoans of OTL Crete?
Let's say this is true. As a result, bronze is introduced into Malta earlier than in OTL. The culture develops more rapidly as a result. The Maltese make contact with the tin and copper producing regions of Iberia, and serve as a conduit by which Spanish copper and tin move east to feed the growing Bronze Age civilizations there. Malta grows rich, and the population expands. Eventually, Maltese colonies are founded in Iberia, on the coast of North Africa (on the site of OTL Carthage), and in Sicily.
Trade first with the Minoans, then later the Mycenaeans, introduce Aegean cultural influences into the Maltese culture over time. Later, in the aftermath of the erupton of Santorini, there is a significant Cretan migration to Malta and its colonies. The fusion of Minoan and Maltese cultures strengthens the Maltese.
By 1200 BC, Sicily is pretty much completely under Maltese control, and is the true heart of Maltese power. Numerous cities have been founded, and the grain and resources of Sicily are at the command of the Maltese Thalassocracy. This, together with their relatively isolated position, enables them to survive the catastrophe of c. 1200 BC. Shortly before 1100 BC, ironworking is introduced via contact with iron-using peoples in Italy.
By 1000 BC, the Phoenicians are pushing west. But they encounter Maltese power, and are stopped from significantly colonizing anything in the western Mediterranean. Likewise, the Greeks find their opportunities in the west to be significantly restricted. Some Phoenician and Greek colonies are successfully founded in the west, however, and compete with the Maltese for domination of the area. Over the next couple of centuries the Maltese found more colonies, in southern Italy, the southern coast of what would become OTL Gaul, and in Spain. Maltese control of Spain begins to expand inland. Sardinia and Corsica are colonized.
The result can be seen in the map below.
Let's say this is true. As a result, bronze is introduced into Malta earlier than in OTL. The culture develops more rapidly as a result. The Maltese make contact with the tin and copper producing regions of Iberia, and serve as a conduit by which Spanish copper and tin move east to feed the growing Bronze Age civilizations there. Malta grows rich, and the population expands. Eventually, Maltese colonies are founded in Iberia, on the coast of North Africa (on the site of OTL Carthage), and in Sicily.
Trade first with the Minoans, then later the Mycenaeans, introduce Aegean cultural influences into the Maltese culture over time. Later, in the aftermath of the erupton of Santorini, there is a significant Cretan migration to Malta and its colonies. The fusion of Minoan and Maltese cultures strengthens the Maltese.
By 1200 BC, Sicily is pretty much completely under Maltese control, and is the true heart of Maltese power. Numerous cities have been founded, and the grain and resources of Sicily are at the command of the Maltese Thalassocracy. This, together with their relatively isolated position, enables them to survive the catastrophe of c. 1200 BC. Shortly before 1100 BC, ironworking is introduced via contact with iron-using peoples in Italy.
By 1000 BC, the Phoenicians are pushing west. But they encounter Maltese power, and are stopped from significantly colonizing anything in the western Mediterranean. Likewise, the Greeks find their opportunities in the west to be significantly restricted. Some Phoenician and Greek colonies are successfully founded in the west, however, and compete with the Maltese for domination of the area. Over the next couple of centuries the Maltese found more colonies, in southern Italy, the southern coast of what would become OTL Gaul, and in Spain. Maltese control of Spain begins to expand inland. Sardinia and Corsica are colonized.
The result can be seen in the map below.
Timeline of the Maltese Thalassocracy
c. 5200 BC...First humans arrive in Malta. These are Neolithic farmers from Sicily.
c. 3600-c. 2500 BC...Temple Period, during which several large stone-built temples are constructed, indicating a thriving and well-organized society. Toward the end of the period, Maltese seafarers begin exploring the coasts of North Africa and Sicily, and trading as far east as Crete.
c. 2700 BC...The Minoan civilization arises in Crete. Shortly thereafter, Crete is discovered by Maltese seafarers, and trade begins between the two cultures. Bronze is first introduced into Malta by Cretan traders.
c. 2700 BC-c. 1100 BC...The Maltese Bronze Age.
c. 2500 BC...A new wave of immigration of bronze-armed warriors from Italy comes to Malta, ending the Temple Period. They displace the ruling classes in Malta, but are themselves gradually assimilated by the general population. They do bring warlike qualities to the Maltese culture which will serve them in good stead later on. Maltese seafarers make contact with the copper and tin producing cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as the non-Indo-European cultures inhabiting what will eventually become Greece.
c. 2300 BC...By this time, Malta has become a major trader in Iberian copper and tin, acting as a "middle man" between the Iberians and the Minoans, who carry the precious metal cargoes to destinations in Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt. Cretan cultural influences begin to be seen in Malta, especially in such things as clothing and architecture. The influx of wealth allows a rapid expansion of population, and the Maltese are soon establishing colonies in Sicily, North Africa (at the OTL site of Carthage) and on the eastern coast of Iberia.
c. 2000 BC...Maltese colonization in Sicily and Iberia continues. Some Maltese colonies are founding satellite colonies of their own. These colonies operate semi-independently under their own local rulers, but all recognize the authority of the King of Malta. In addition, Malta is the religous center of the proto-empire, it's great Neolithic temples having been maintained, improved, and expanded over time. This serves to unify the proto-empire even more.
c. 1900 BC...Indo-Europeans, the early ancestors of the historical Greeks, enter Greece. They merge with and assimilate the earlier, non-Indo-European culture which existed there. Emergence of the Mycenaean civilization.
c. 1800 BC...The Maltese adopt early Cretan Linear A script, modifying it to serve their own language. Full-scale trade between the Maltese and the Mycenaeans is well underway.
c. 1625 BC...Eruption of Santorini deals a severe blow to the Minoan civilization. Several thousand Minoans flee to Malta and it's colonies in Sicily and North Africa, where they are assimilated into the local population. However, they do make a cultural impact, introducing improved ship designs, new art forms, and new religious practices and cults which are adopted by the Maltese. The Maltese take the opportunity to expand their trading into the eastern Mediterranean. Maltese ships visit Egypt, Anatolia, and the Levant for the first time, displacing the Minoan traders who once controlled these trade routes.
c. 1550 BC...Because there was a large migration from Crete to the Maltese lands following the eruption of Santorini, Crete does not recover as quickly and completely from the eruption as it did in OTL. The King of Mycenae takes advantage of this and invades. Crete is conquered by the Mycenaeans about a century earlier than in OTL. There is some conflict, mostly at sea, between the Maltese and the Mycenaeans over trade routes. However, the strength of the Maltese fleet, and the distance between the respective centers of power of the two civilizations, ensures that neither can wage all-out war on the other.
c. 1300 BC...By this time, Sicily is completely under the control of Malta. The grain and resources of the island provide a stable base for the expansion of the Maltese Thalassocracy.
c. 1200 BC...The Great Catastrophe overtakes most of the Bronze Age civilizations of the Mediterranean. Large-scale population movements, and large-scale piratical activity, topple the Mycenaean, Hittite, and other civilizations. Malta and it's colonies are not completely unaffected, suffering raids by seaborne pirates from Sardinia and Greece. But their strong naval forces prevent large-scale looting, and the Maltese manage to weather the crisis and survive.
c. 1100 BC...Ironworking is introduced into Malta via trade with iron-using peoples in Italy.
c. 1000 BC...Phoenician traders are pushing west. Their activities in the western Mediterranean cause the various Maltese colonies to adopt a stronger union between them. A ruling council is formed, which meets semi-annually on Malta, headed by the King of Malta, who is recognized as the Great King and Chief High Priest of the Maltese Thalassocracy. The Kings of the various Maltese colonies become his vassals. The Maltese expand their holdings in the region, founding colonies in southern Italy, Sardinia, Corsica, the region which would become Southern Gaul, as well as additional colonies in Iberia and North Africa. The Maltese destroy many Phoenician colonies before they can become established, but the Phoenicians do successfully found a few isolated colonies in the region. However, they are never a serious threat to Maltese control in the region.
c. 900 BC...The Etruscans, a people from the eastern Mediterranean, arrive in northern Italy, merging with the local iron-age peoples and founding a number of city states. They will soon be in competition with the Maltese over trade.
c. 800 BC...Greece is coming out of the long Dark Ages which followed the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization. The first Greek traders and colonists begin entering the western Mediterranean. The Greeks are a more serious threat than the Phoenicians, coming in much larger numbers. Over the next couple of centuries they will establish successful colonies in southern Italy, southern Gaul, and eastern Iberia. But Sicily will remain firmly in the hands of the Maltese, and will not become the hub of a "Greater Greece" in the western Mediterranean, as it did in OTL.
c. 5200 BC...First humans arrive in Malta. These are Neolithic farmers from Sicily.
c. 3600-c. 2500 BC...Temple Period, during which several large stone-built temples are constructed, indicating a thriving and well-organized society. Toward the end of the period, Maltese seafarers begin exploring the coasts of North Africa and Sicily, and trading as far east as Crete.
c. 2700 BC...The Minoan civilization arises in Crete. Shortly thereafter, Crete is discovered by Maltese seafarers, and trade begins between the two cultures. Bronze is first introduced into Malta by Cretan traders.
c. 2700 BC-c. 1100 BC...The Maltese Bronze Age.
c. 2500 BC...A new wave of immigration of bronze-armed warriors from Italy comes to Malta, ending the Temple Period. They displace the ruling classes in Malta, but are themselves gradually assimilated by the general population. They do bring warlike qualities to the Maltese culture which will serve them in good stead later on. Maltese seafarers make contact with the copper and tin producing cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as the non-Indo-European cultures inhabiting what will eventually become Greece.
c. 2300 BC...By this time, Malta has become a major trader in Iberian copper and tin, acting as a "middle man" between the Iberians and the Minoans, who carry the precious metal cargoes to destinations in Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt. Cretan cultural influences begin to be seen in Malta, especially in such things as clothing and architecture. The influx of wealth allows a rapid expansion of population, and the Maltese are soon establishing colonies in Sicily, North Africa (at the OTL site of Carthage) and on the eastern coast of Iberia.
c. 2000 BC...Maltese colonization in Sicily and Iberia continues. Some Maltese colonies are founding satellite colonies of their own. These colonies operate semi-independently under their own local rulers, but all recognize the authority of the King of Malta. In addition, Malta is the religous center of the proto-empire, it's great Neolithic temples having been maintained, improved, and expanded over time. This serves to unify the proto-empire even more.
c. 1900 BC...Indo-Europeans, the early ancestors of the historical Greeks, enter Greece. They merge with and assimilate the earlier, non-Indo-European culture which existed there. Emergence of the Mycenaean civilization.
c. 1800 BC...The Maltese adopt early Cretan Linear A script, modifying it to serve their own language. Full-scale trade between the Maltese and the Mycenaeans is well underway.
c. 1625 BC...Eruption of Santorini deals a severe blow to the Minoan civilization. Several thousand Minoans flee to Malta and it's colonies in Sicily and North Africa, where they are assimilated into the local population. However, they do make a cultural impact, introducing improved ship designs, new art forms, and new religious practices and cults which are adopted by the Maltese. The Maltese take the opportunity to expand their trading into the eastern Mediterranean. Maltese ships visit Egypt, Anatolia, and the Levant for the first time, displacing the Minoan traders who once controlled these trade routes.
c. 1550 BC...Because there was a large migration from Crete to the Maltese lands following the eruption of Santorini, Crete does not recover as quickly and completely from the eruption as it did in OTL. The King of Mycenae takes advantage of this and invades. Crete is conquered by the Mycenaeans about a century earlier than in OTL. There is some conflict, mostly at sea, between the Maltese and the Mycenaeans over trade routes. However, the strength of the Maltese fleet, and the distance between the respective centers of power of the two civilizations, ensures that neither can wage all-out war on the other.
c. 1300 BC...By this time, Sicily is completely under the control of Malta. The grain and resources of the island provide a stable base for the expansion of the Maltese Thalassocracy.
c. 1200 BC...The Great Catastrophe overtakes most of the Bronze Age civilizations of the Mediterranean. Large-scale population movements, and large-scale piratical activity, topple the Mycenaean, Hittite, and other civilizations. Malta and it's colonies are not completely unaffected, suffering raids by seaborne pirates from Sardinia and Greece. But their strong naval forces prevent large-scale looting, and the Maltese manage to weather the crisis and survive.
c. 1100 BC...Ironworking is introduced into Malta via trade with iron-using peoples in Italy.
c. 1000 BC...Phoenician traders are pushing west. Their activities in the western Mediterranean cause the various Maltese colonies to adopt a stronger union between them. A ruling council is formed, which meets semi-annually on Malta, headed by the King of Malta, who is recognized as the Great King and Chief High Priest of the Maltese Thalassocracy. The Kings of the various Maltese colonies become his vassals. The Maltese expand their holdings in the region, founding colonies in southern Italy, Sardinia, Corsica, the region which would become Southern Gaul, as well as additional colonies in Iberia and North Africa. The Maltese destroy many Phoenician colonies before they can become established, but the Phoenicians do successfully found a few isolated colonies in the region. However, they are never a serious threat to Maltese control in the region.
c. 900 BC...The Etruscans, a people from the eastern Mediterranean, arrive in northern Italy, merging with the local iron-age peoples and founding a number of city states. They will soon be in competition with the Maltese over trade.
c. 800 BC...Greece is coming out of the long Dark Ages which followed the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization. The first Greek traders and colonists begin entering the western Mediterranean. The Greeks are a more serious threat than the Phoenicians, coming in much larger numbers. Over the next couple of centuries they will establish successful colonies in southern Italy, southern Gaul, and eastern Iberia. But Sicily will remain firmly in the hands of the Maltese, and will not become the hub of a "Greater Greece" in the western Mediterranean, as it did in OTL.
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I like this a lot. The POD is an entirely new civilization, injected into the ancient world. I hope I have the time to follow this.